


Heart-Shaped Box

by its_mike_kapufty



Series: Rhink Ficlets [11]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Chocolate, Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 05:31:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17892416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_mike_kapufty/pseuds/its_mike_kapufty
Summary: Link isn't too concerned with the chocolates left in his and Rhett's office. Not until he notices a pattern, anyway.





	Heart-Shaped Box

Link arrived at work first, same as he had all week. And--same as he had all week--he stopped by the heart-shaped box of Valentine’s chocolates that Stevie had so graciously left atop their office's coffee table.

Dropping his bag to the floor carefully so as to not spill his coffee, he opened the box and ran his tongue over his teeth as he consulted which treat he wanted that morning. The little printed guide in the lid was helpful; everything from raspberry to apricot to maple nut resided in the confections, but they were impossible to tell apart by sight alone. Except for the one in the center, of course--a big square one full of salted caramel.

After some consideration, Link selected chocolate truffle as his flavor for the day and popped it into his mouth. It was delicious. Creamy and rich and melted on his tongue. Not too sugary. He unzipped his laptop bag and had finished the candy before his airbook was even booted.

It wasn’t often that Link was drawn to chocolate, but the taste of the truffle had paired really well with his coffee, so he reopened the box to double check and see if he could have another one in the morning. The label revealed that there was one more chocolate truffle, exactly mirroring the placement of the one he’d just eaten. Satisfied, he closed it and paid work full mind, navigating to his inbox and slogging through new messages.

 

* * *

 

The next morning came, and Link made a note to ask Rhett to change his alarm clock tone so he’d stop having to wait up for the guy.

He was going to miss the chocolates once they were gone. It had become an integral part of his routine, though he knew it wasn’t smart to have something so indulgent after hitting the gym every day. Thoughts already on the truffle, Link opened the heart and checked the guide.

The piece he’d scoped out yesterday was gone. More than that, when Link paused and took in the box as a whole, he noticed--peculiarly--that the entire box had been eaten symmetrically thus far.

There was no way that had been his doing. The chocolates he chose every day were picked at random, based on his mood and nothing more. He was also sure the amount missing was far more than he had eaten over the past week.

Link squinted at the box, and with curious fingers, selected a pecan chocolate. He double-checked that its partner was still there, closed the heart, and enjoyed.

 

* * *

 

The entire drive to work, Link thought about the heart-shaped box.

There was something incredibly gratifying when his bee-line to the office had ended in no remaining pieces of pecan chocolate. He beamed down at the empty sleeve where the candy used to be, imagining Rhett tracking his snacking habits. Pulling faces whenever Link had eaten one Rhett _knew_ he wouldn’t enjoy, but placed it carefully on his tongue anyway.

Everything had to be perfectly balanced between them, didn’t it?

With a broad grin, Link looked over the remaining options and chose a coconut-filled one. He chewed it carefully, trying to enjoy the oddly grainy sweetness of the moist shavings within. It was a great reminder of why he didn’t like coconut flavoring.

But Rhett did.

 

* * *

 

As the days progressed, Link found himself smiling at the chocolate box every morning. Without fail, Rhett always chose the same candy he did. A few times Link had thought about bringing it up--about leaning over in between recordings and asking if Rhett liked orange cream or fruit nut better--but the idea of keeping it secret always won out. Like it was better to be enjoyed and not addressed. A seamless phenomenon the two of them would complete in turns.

Until one morning, when the only chocolate left was the large salted caramel in the middle of the box.

Without a second thought, Link found a butter knife, cut it in half, and left the bigger piece for Rhett.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Realized my partner was doing this with our chocolate box. ❤ Rhinkified it!  
> Thank you for looking over this, rhinkythingz and analog08!


End file.
